Vaccinations

When  do  puppies  start  their vaccinations?

-  1st  vaccination  can  be  given  from  7  weeks  of age  with  a  2nd  at  10  weeks  or  older  and  there  must  be  at  least  2  weeks  between  the  2  injections.          We  vaccinate  against  Parvovirus,  Leptospirosis,  (both  common  diseases  in  this  area,)  Distemper,  Hepatitis,  Parainfluenza  and  coronavirus.                                 Also  available  is  a  vaccine  against kennel  cough  given  by drops  down  the  nose. This  is  not  a  killer disease  but  is  essential  prior  to  going  to  kennels  (and  we do  sometimes  get  outbreaks  outside  kennels.)

Is  it  essential  to  give  boosters  every  year?

-  The  annual  booster  does  not  include  all  the  above  diseases  every  year  but  it  does  include  Leptospira  every  year  as  studies  have  shown  that  antibody  levels drop  too  low  soon  after  the  booster  time  has  passed.

-  I  can  also  say  that, although minor reactions to vaccination (such as feeling a bit off colour) are common, serious reactions are very, very rare, and have to be compared to the often horrific nature of these diseases.

-  vaccinations  include  a  free  health  check  which  is  particularly  useful  as  pets  get  older  and  any  problems  can  be  raised  with the  vet.  (All  our  vaccines  are  administered  by  a  vet  rather  than  a  nurse.)

What  about  cat  vaccines? 

-  kittens  can  start  their  injections  from  9  weeks  of  age  with  a  2nd  dose  given  3  weeks  later.  We  recommend  vaccination  against  cat  'flu,  feline  enteritis,  leukaemia,  (a  virus  spread  by  blood  or  saliva  from  another  cat,)  and  chlamydia  (a  nasty  form  of  conjunctivitis  and  upper  respiratory  tract  infection.)

  Neutering

Bitches

- we  spay  most  bitches  at  6  months  of  age,  before  they  have  a  season. The  womb  is  smaller  then  making  the  operation  easier  for  dog  and  vet.  Spaying  young  like  this  prevents  mammary  tumours  (the  dog  equivalent  of  breast  cancer)  almost  100%.  It  also  obviously  prevents  womb  infections  (otherwise  very  common)  and  tumours  in  later  life.

- if  a  bitch  has  had  a  season  we  wait  about  3  months  before  operating  to  allow  the  hormones  to  settle.

- the  main  disadvantages  of  spaying  are  weight  gain  (easily  avoided  by  feeding  less - come  and  see  Mr  Bournes  spayed  bitches  if  you  wish)  and  urinary  incontinence  (bed  wetting).  The  latter  is  easily  controlled  by  'hormone  replacement  therapy'  or  other  teratments.

- the  operation  is  quite  major  but  is  very  safe :-  we  haven't  a  death  in  the  19  years  I've  been  here ( which  is  several  thousand  bitches).  Bitches  are  usually  back  to  normal  in  2-4  days,  though  they  have  stitches  in  for  10  days.

- if  you  are  on  means  tested  benefits  you  can  have  your  bitch  spayed  for  £30  under  the  Dog's  Trust  scheme.

Male  dogs

- many  males  don't  require  castration

- the  operation  is  useful  for  dogs  exhibiting  excessive  sexual  behaviour         e.g.  mating  cushions/visitor's  legs  (!!),  escaping  to  search  for  bitches.

- it  can  reduce  aggressive  behaviour  but  is  not  a  panacea  for  all  bad  behaviour

- the  operation  can  be  done  from  6  months  of  age  but  we  usually  leave  it  until  12  months  as  many  behaviour  problems  in  these  'adolescent'  dogs  can  be  cured  by  training.

- again  the  price  is  £30  for  those  on  means  tested  benefits.

 

Cats

-female  cats  are  usually  spayed  at  5-6  months  old.

- males  can  be  castrated  at  this  age  or,  if  left  another  3-4  months,  they  will  develop  a  more  tomcat  type  appearance.  If  left  much  longer  they  will  develop  other,  less  desirable,  tomcat  characteristics!

-those of you on benefits can get vouchers towards the cost from Cats protection or the RSPCA. Ask at the surgery.

Worming

Dogs

- all  pups  should  be  wormed  3-4  times  at  10-14  day  intervals  with  a  product  that  tackles  roundworms.  They  acquire  these  worms  from  their  mums  in  the  womb  or  via  milk  ( aren't  worms  cunning! ).

- from  then  worming  every  3  months  with  a  product  that  tackles  round  and  tapeworms  ( e.g. our  Milbemax )  usually  suffices.

Cats

- as with  pups  all  kittens  need  treatment  for  roundworms

- older  kittens  and  adults  also  acquire  tapeworms  either  from  fleas  or  by  eating  prey  ( birds  and  rodents ).

- Milbemax  is  a  very  effective  tablet - it  deals  with  all  worms.

- for  those  cats  which  don't  like  tablets ( and  there  are  many )  there  is  a  'spot-on'  wormer (a  few  drops  of  liquid  applied  to  the  back  of  the  neck)  called  Profender.  This  kills  all  worms.  Panacur  favourites  are  a  very  palatable  tablet  ( my  cats  wolf  them  down)  but  they  don't  kill  all  varieties  of  worms  

 Flea  Control

   Whereas some parasites (lice, sheepscab) prefer cold weather fleas love the hot weather, although, with central heating, infestations can occur all year round. As the summer progresses we get more and more pleas for help from people whose pets are infested or, worse still, are getting bitten themselves :- raised red spots with a small scab on top, usually around the ankles if fleas are jumping out of the carpet, or all over if they have infested your bed!! Proper control of this problem needs an understanding of the flea life cycle. As often in nature it's the female fleas which are worse. They need a blood meal in order to lay eggs (several hundred over their lifetime) which fall off the dog or cat into the environment. I once collected over 5000 flea eggs from 1 dog in the space of 2 hours ( I only know the number because I sent them to a drug company who were collecting for research purposes).            

   These eggs, which are smaller than a pinhead, hatch out into tiny larvae (under the microscope they look like caterpillars) which crawl a foot or two to find somewhere dark (beneath the cushions of the settee or under the pet's bed) where they pupate before hatching out as adult fleas 2 weeks to 6 months later. Vibration stimulates hatching which explains dramatic tales of people returning from summer holidays to find their footsteps cause hundreds of fleas to come bouncing out of the carpets! Treatment of the environment is therefore vital. Sprays are available which contain an insecticide and, more importantly, a chemical which stops flea eggs developing. It is vital to spray all carpets, under cushions and items of furniture, into gaps like under skirting boards - and don't forget your car if the dog goes in it. Insecticidal bombs are available but these may not spread into all the necessary areas.           

   Of course you also need to treat all dogs and cats. Shampoos, sprays and flea collars are usually a waste of money as are the pet-shop spot-ons - we regularly find pets crawling with fleas which have been treated with these products. Some of the older veterinary products are now showing signs that resistance is developing. Currently our most popular product is Promeris, a relatively new spot-on which treats fleas very effectively in dogs and cats, and also ticks, mites and lice in dogs.

            Promeris is also very effective used every 8 weeks to prevent your pet picking up fleas when out and about. For those who don't like insecticides it is difficult to control fleas without them, but there is a product called Program, given monthly as a tablet to dogs or 6 monthly as an injection to cats, which doesn't kill fleas but prevents them breeding thus stopping infestation of the house.

  Insurance

             We strongly recommend pet insurance as it benefits both owners, who might be faced with an unexpected large bill after say an accident, and us at the surgery as we don't feel pressure to keep costs down by minimising investigations of tricky cases.

         Policies can be divided into 3 types:

   - the best (and most expensive) will pay for a lifelong condition (e.g. diabetes or arthritis) for the whole of a pet's life up to a stated maximum for each 12 month period. I have never known such a maximum be exceeded.

   - middle range policies will pay for lifelong treatment only until a limit is reached, after which they stop paying.

   - the cheapest policies will only pay out for one condition for a maximum of 12 months. These policies are still well worth having as they cover accidents, swallowing foreign bodies etc.

    We don't recommend any particular company:- they all seem to pay up well. We suggest you shop around to see what suits you.

 

  Fireworks

    Fireworks are a common problem and this year, as every other, we are being asked how to help frightened pets. Obviously keep them shut in, turn the telly or music up to drown the sound, and let them settle, if they wish, in a favourite spot. In the case of Tilly, our collie X, this involves squeezing through a narrow gap and hiding behind the log pile. Tranquilisers are available from the vets. These are prescription only and can be dispensed following a phonecall from you if we see your cat or dog regularly , but a quick visit to the surgery may be needed if we haven't seen you for a while. Other products that help are pheremones:- synthetic versions of smelly substances produced by bitches/queens to calm their young. ( Don't worry they won't smell of b. o.) D.A.P. is the product for dogs and Feliway for cats. In the longer term you can try to train your pet to get used to the noise by playing a CD of bangs at gradually increasing volume. This takes patience and commitment but can be successful.